The Water's Call
by BluePhoenix34
Summary: When Hanaru goes to Iwatobi with her older brother, she expects a nice quiet life away from any drama. Expect it's hard to avoid when everyone in school thinks you're a boy. After meeting the famous swimming guys and joining their newly opened club, Hanaru creates a friendship she can't push away and a life she loves better than her old one. Come swim with our heroine! MakoXOC
1. The New Boy?

***Author's Note: I do not own Free: Iwatobi Swim Club or their characters. But I do own the characters that are unfamiliar to the series. Please enjoy!**

Chapter One: The New Boy?

Before my grandfather died, he once told me that I might have Greek blood running through my veins. He said that I could be a descendent of the Greek god Poseidon, the king of the sea. I told him that his imagination was false because I was pure Japanese, but it could be slightly true.

Maybe that's the reason I love the ocean so much. It was a crazy theory, but it's sometimes nice to know that there are still secrets you can't ever discover. My mother told me that before she passed away when I was six. She said secrets are never fun when they're told out to the world because then the magic is gone. I have to admit, my mother was a little weird because she would drift off in her own world and babble out these random things, but I miss that about her.

"Mr. Suzuki," I click on reality and turn to my teacher who gave me a hard look. I guess I was day dreaming, something I rarely do in class. "Are you paying attention to my lecture?"

All eyes were glued to me. I sit up and shake my head, "Of course sensei."

"Then why don't you answer this equation on the board?" he pointed at the chalk board that had a rather confusing equation written on it. I took a few seconds to do it in my head and I answered.

"X equals twenty-nine over thirteen. The decimal way is two point two three one."

"How did he do that so fast?" one student asked another.

"He has the brain of a calculator." another commented.

"Should he be in a boarding school?" one questioned.

My teacher looked slightly abashed by my straightforward answer and stammered, "C-Correct Mr. Suzuki. I apologize for calling you out before."

"I don't mind." I just shrug. Everyone, except for a few girls who kept staring at me, turned back to the lesson. Then I noticed one certain blonde haired boy grinning at me like I did something great, a smile you would give to a friend. I raised a brow with a hint of confusion written on my face. Did I know him? Oh wait! We had a short conversation on the first day of school yesterday. His name was Hazuki Nagisa.

Class was finally over and I brought out my lunch, something I made on my own. So in other words, a cheese sandwich because I can't cook _anything_. Just like yesterday, Nagisa sat down beside me and tried to have a conversation.

"Hana-chan!" he cried. My real name is Hanaru but for some reason, he liked to call me Hana-chan. I didn't like it at first but I've gotten used to it after the fiftieth time. "Are you, like, a genius?"

"What?" I didn't understand.

"You're so smart in class and you know practically everything. So are you a genius?"

I push my glasses up and talked to him like a child, "What do you think?"

"Hana-chan is a genius?" he suggested innocently.

"Then I'm a genius."

"I knew it!" I punched the air. We're both the same height and the same age, but I sometimes feel like he has the mind of an ADHD nine year old. It can get a little infuriated when you think about it.

When I was finished with my lunch, I looked at the clock to learn that we had a half an hour before out next class started. Before I could do anything to spare time, Nagisa grabbed my arm and started to shake it vigorously.

"Hana-chan, now that you're done can you come with me?" he cried in my face.

"Where are we going?"

Nagisa's smile got wider. "I have two childhood friends here and I was searching for them yesterday but I couldn't locate them. So I figured today, maybe I'll be lucky." He hoisted me up from my seat and began to tug. We were out the classroom in a matter of seconds.

"Why do you want me to come?" I question slightly puzzled. He turned back to me and grinned.

"Because you're a genius and with your brains, I can locate them faster!"

"Wait what? Nagisa that doesn't make any sense–"

Then he grabbed my hand and started to sprint down the halls. I kept up with him as much as I could but for some reason, these two friends of his must be important to him. Nagisa then ran outside and accidently pushed passed a lot of students. I made eye contact with a scarlet haired girl who looked moderately familiar, but I shook out the thought.

We went to the other building that had the upper classmen students and Nagisa raced up the six flights of stairs. I began to wheeze uncontrollably and told the hyper boy to slow down, but determination was racing around his brain, making him deaf to even hear me.

Soon, we finally stop, but I accidently crash into his back and fall back first on the stair floor. A few more centimeters and I would've been rolling all the way down the stair case. I felt my eyes swirling around with exhaustion while listening to Nagisa's voice.

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! It's been forever." My head stopped rotating, allowing me to grab the rail and pull myself up. "I'll be joining you here at Iwatobi High School."

I go to his side to see two young men at the top of the stairs looking down at use with confusion. One was tall with olive green hair and droopy green eyes. The other boy was a little shorter with straight black hair and eyes that reminded me of water. He had that serious expression on, which told me that he was possibly an introvert.

The two boys mumbled to themselves for a while until they exploded with shock and stared back at us. "Nagisa?"

He seemed pleased to be remembered and grinned again. His arm then wrapped around my shoulders, like a snake, and he pulled me closer towards him. "And this is my new friend, Suzuki Hanaru!"

-:-

After our short introduction, the four of us went on the roof and scanned the city over the edge. Makoto then started the conversation.

"How many years has it been? I don't think I saw you after the swimming club was shut down."

This got my attention. Swim club? These guys swam together? I guess I have one thing in common with them. But before I could question, Nagisa interrupted me.

"Yep, that's because I went to a different school." He then got a glimpse at something pink and pointed in that direction while moving forward over the edge. "There are cherry blossom trees next to the pool."

Panicked, I grabbed the back of his blazer and pull him towards me until I had my arms wrapped around his torso. His back was pressing against my chest. "You're going to fall Nagisa. Just be careful before you do something reckless."

"I sorry Hana-chan." he chuckled carelessly and turned to Haruka, his mind focused on the cherry blossom trees again. "Weren't there cherry blossom trees next to the pool at your grade school Haru-chan?"

"Can you stop calling me that?" he said in an indifferent tone. That seemed to cut Nagisa's spirit down by a fourth.

"But that's your name Haru-chan." Haruka gave him a small irritated look.

I look back at the pool and with the help of my glasses see that there was no water fill in it. It looked old and used up, like it hasn't touched chlorine during half its life. Weeds sprouted from the cracks it beard and paint peeled off like dried up skin. I wasn't much of a pool girl, but that humiliating sight made my heart drop.

"But that pool is old and not in use." Makoto announced to us. "There's no swim club, either."

Another thing I didn't like about this school, it lacked a swim club. I was never going to join one but it would be nice to just watch. I used to swim competitively in a small town which was located in Japan. Well for a while before– no, I don't want to have a flashback of that memory again.

"How long have you known Nagisa?" my thoughts were interrupted by Makoto as he looked at me with a smile full of serenity. He seemed like one of those people who act motherly towards everyone, including strangers. Yet, just like that scarlet haired girl, he seemed awfully familiar.

"Since yesterday." I answer.

"Really? He acts like he's known you his whole life."

"No, yesterday was the first time I've ever seen him. I guess he's just that friendly with everyone."

He nods in agreement and looks down at my uniform that looked slightly baggy on me. They really were, the pants felt too long and the shirt and blaze were over my butt. "Do you need a new uniform?"

"Yeah, but I might as well just suck it up for the year. They delivered it by mail and gave me the wrong one. But it's whatever."

"Oh okay, are you new?"

"Yeah, I moved here with my brother last week. Well, we actually lived here before but after my father's death we moved to live with my uncle, aunt, and cousins. But we wanted to return home for many reasons."

"Have you swum competitively before? I feel like I saw your face somewhere." he inquired. I just shrug without looking at him.

"Maybe, but we may never know." I heard him give out a long sigh of defeat.

-:-

"Hey have you heard!" Nagisa announced as we walked down the stairs. "The swimming club we went to in grade school is gonna be torn down soon. So before that happens," he jumped off the last three steps and turned to us with a wink, "why don't we pay a visit?"

"To dig that up?" Makoto asked. I for one was not interested in what Nagisa was talking about and walked down the steps with Haruka. But his voice kept ringing in my ear as he said.

"Exactly, we can sneak in at night…"

"You can go by yourself." Haruka said. Nagisa froze for a short second and then started to freak out.

"Don't say that! Come with us Haru-chan. You too Hana-chan." he swiftly linked his arm through mine before I could pass him. I was taken back. "You're our friend now, and we also need your genius brain to help dig up our trophy."

"Nagisa, as I said before, that doesn't even make sense. And I wasn't a part of your swimming club so I would be out of place." I tried to sound as stern as I could, but Nagisa pouted like the child he was.

"But I wouldn't mind. Mako-chan wouldn't mind, right?" I glanced up at him to see an uneasy look before it switched to welcoming.

"Of course not."

"And Haru-chan wouldn't mind–"

"I'm not going." he replied bluntly and turned to leave, but Nagisa also caught him just in time before his departure.

"Don't you think it'll be fun?" he pleaded.

"I don't." Nagisa whined as Haruka still seemed uninterested. Actually, he did seem interested but he was trying to hide it. That got me wondering a little.

Makoto came behind us, "Why don't you just humor him?"

"No, it's too much effort." he answered stubbornly. I sighed after looking at Nagisa's red face.

"Okay, I'll come."

"Yeah!" the blonde cheered. "See Haru-chan, Hana-chan is going."

"That doesn't make much of a difference." he spat. I narrowed my eyes towards the back of his head, a little offended by his comment.

"But there's a pool there." Makoto said out loud. This made Haruka twitch. "A pool is much bigger than a bathtub."

Haruka looked back at him with a more calm expression and his eyes shining with longing. It was almost like telling a child they were going to their favorite place in the world. He mumbled something, sounding like he was agreeing he'll come with us. I stared at Makoto dumbfounded. He was good at manipulating his own friend.

-:-

Nighttime was finally among us and we stood there staring at the green abandoned building with a chibi swimmer painted on the side. The paint seemed to be smearing off, making it look a little creepy. I wore a blue t-shirt with my black sweater over and cargo plants. My old riding boots kept my feet protected, but it didn't seem to match my outfit. My short dark brown hair still looked choppy and uneven. I cut it myself four days ago, up to the middle part of my neck, after a neighbor of my dyed half of it with pink Kool-Aid. My glasses were still on, since I can't see far distances.

"This place is pretty trashed." Makoto said. I heard fear in his voice and looked up at him for a second.

Nagisa took a piece of cloth out of his pocket. "Here," he opened it up to show us white powder. "Just in case."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Purify salt. They say this place is haunted." he glanced back at the building.

"Don't scare me." chuckled Makoto.

"I'm not lying! People have seen shadows moving around and hearing sobbing voices." this seemed to scare Makoto even more. I put a hand on his shaking arm to comfort him. He looks down at me, a little surprised.

Nagisa started sprinkling each of us with the salt until Haruka noticed something. He licked his finger and notified everyone that it was sugar. I shouldn't have cared, but for some unknown reason I glared at Nagisa for his stupidity.

We finally went inside, Nagisa kept telling us that the salt thing was mental and I just rolled my eyes. We walked down the hall for a while. Makoto tried to make small talk with us until Nagisa kicked a something by accident and made the tall teenager hide behind me and Haruka. I'm guessing he really is scared of the dark.

Nagisa kept scanning the areas with his flash light, discovering a deserted locker room that looked very unused. The place smelled like chlorine and a breeze chilled the four of us. I then noticed some of the pictures and took a look at them. One by one, they were all young boys who won a trophy and looked so excited until my eyes widened at one particular one.

"Guys, is this you?" I pointed at the picture. The boys looked over my shoulders. I could feel Nagisa smiling again.

"Yeah, this is the picture from when we won the relay."

"Who's that boy with the scarlet hair?"

"That's Rin," Makoto answered. "He swam with us before he moved to Australia. It's a little depressing to know that he's not here with us."

"Oh…" was all I could say. I kept looking at the picture and began to feel a pang of jealously in my chest. They all looked so happy together. Makoto with is cheerful smile, Haru looking to the side, that Rin boy flashing his teeth, and Nagisa, well, being himself. They were close together, like one big happy family. I never had friends like that before.

I look to my right to see that Haruka was the only one standing next to me. He looked blank, like a memory was replaying in his mind. I also noticed that his eyes were directly on the Rin kid, something hit me. I spoke up.

"Haruka, do you miss your friend Rin?"

I seemed to wake him from his fantasy and he gave me a quick side glance before returning back to the photo. I was about to talk again before Nagisa called out to us. "Haru-chan! Hana-chan!"

We both followed the sound of his voice and caught up to both him and Makoto. Then we stopped in our tracks when the sound of footsteps cut through the air. A dark figure began walking towards us. Makoto squeaked while Haruka narrowed his eyes. I did the same and noticed something under the stranger's hat. Scarlet locks.

"Yo." he greeted.

"Who is that?" Nagisa mumbled to Makoto.

"I can't tell." he replied feebly.

The stranger spoke up again, "I didn't think I run into you guys here." He did something with the back of his hat, I couldn't tell what, but the two boys exploded with excitement.

"Rin!"

He took off his hat to reveal his face and my heart stopped. It was Rin, the same Rin from the picture! That couldn't be, didn't Makoto tell me that he was in Australia?

"You're back from Australia!" Nagisa jumped forward to greet him. "This must be fate guys!"

Rin scanned everyone up and down, but when he looked his eyes on mine, he gave me a sudden glare. I took a step back, intimidated by his look. Then he looked back at Haruka.

"Haru, you still hanging out with these guys? You never learn." he snickered. Makoto and Nagisa seemed to look sadder than they have been this whole entire time.

"What are you talking about Rin?"

Haruka spoke up. "And what about you, have you learned anything?"

Rin cracked his neck, giving off a loud noise that made me shudder. "I'm glad you asked, why don't I show you. Let's race, Haru." he waved his hat in a _come-follow-me_ gesture. Haruka accepted with no hesitation.

Everyone was muddled on this unexpected event. I was too, a little shocked on Haruka's sudden change of attitude. We all followed them into the pool where Makoto was trying to convince his friends to stop the race. They both took off their clothes, both wearing their swim trunks, which I found a little bit obsessive.

I then walked over to the edge of the pool to get a look inside and saw something that shocked me. Rin and Haruka ran to their platforms, but I called to them before they could dive in. "The pool is empty!"

-:-

The next day, Makoto, Nagisa, and I were sent to the faculty office. Apparently, the teachers heard of our experience last night and weren't took pleased. We apologized and left. I went home, trying to progress everything that just happened.

So Rin is back and it seems like he and Haruka aren't getting on terms. I guess something happened between the two, but what? The way Haruka kept looking at Rin in the picture immediately told me that something was missing. I didn't want to snoop or anything, but I like trying to solve problems. Almost like a really hard math equation.

My cell phone vibrates and I take it out. It's from Kaoru, my brother:

_Hey Hanaru, I'm working late again tonight so I wouldn't be able to make it home. I'm sorry, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow. I have a big surprise for you! _

So I'll be home alone again, great.

I go through my bag, searching for my keys in every pocket. I take on thing out and see that nothing I'm not getting any closer in finding them. My face goes pale white at the thought of getting locked out of my own home. Maybe there's a spare?

I final get to my apartment and try to look for a spare key under the rug. Nope, nothing.

I sit on the steps and watch the sun, waiting patiently for it to go down so that my brother could be home sooner. I was a little hungry too, but I already ate my lunch hours ago. The sun began to beat down on me and I grew extremely hot. I rolled up my pants and took off my blazer to get somewhat cool. My glasses began to get fogged with moist and I had to repeatedly wipe it off. I thought all hope was gone until I heard my name.

"Hanaru?" I look up to find the source and see Haruka looking out of his opened window. He still had that blank look on, but in his eyes, I could tell he seemed confused. His apartment was only across from mine.

"Haruka, you're one of my neighbors?"

He ignored my question. "What are you doing?"

I explain my situation and when I was done, he waves his hand up. "What?"

He does it again and I don't seem to comprehend. He sighs and says. "I'll let you stay until your brother comes."

"Oh…" I said, a little shocked by his offer.

His home was just like mine, except more roomy and wide, probably because he lives alone. He cooked me his favorite fish really quick to satisfy my hunger and then went back to the bathroom. I ate the sea food quickly and waited a couple minutes for Haruka to get out. Soon, thirty minutes passed and I grew suspicious.

I walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Haruka, are you okay?"

No answer.

"Haruka?" I open it slightly and see that he was in the tub, staring at the ceiling.

My face goes red with embarrassment and I shut the door, apologizing for interrupting his time. But I hear his voice again. "You can come in."

"Unless you put clothes on." I object.

"I'm wearing my swimming trunks."

"What?" I barge in again and this time, he's standing with his trunks from yesterday on. I shake my head. "You are way too water crazy."

"There's nothing crazy about the water."

"I guess you right…" I sigh, understanding what he means. Maybe we're not so different after all. He enjoys feeling the water, just like me and the ocean. I would go swimming in it right now if it wasn't so cold outside.

Without hesitation, I sit on the stool by the tub and look out the window. It had a clear view of the ocean and I smiled slightly at the thought of wild horses running through the waves. My grandfather told me that horses came from the ocean, which is why they're good swimmers. He also told me that I mount a wave like it's a horse, and I do.

Once, at the beach, I rode the waves with only my body and it was the most exciting ride ever. I would break the ocean surface when my body plummeted into the salt water and get sore from the hit. It didn't matter though. I would mount the next wave and laugh my butt off. At the end of the day, I got small bruises on my arms and legs.

So Haruka and I stood there in silence, each of us in our own world and not minding the company. I never realized this but Haruka was a good person, so why did Rin hate him?

-:-

Soon, Makoto and Nagisa came over to tell Haruka about the school Rin was in and how they wanted to go visit him. They were surprised to see me, but Nagisa quickly offered to take me with them. Since I had nothing better to do, I agreed. Haruka, however, was a problem.

"No."

"Let's visit Samezuke Academy." Nagisa complained again.

"Don't you want to see Rin again?" Makoto suggested.

Haruka dried his hair with a towel. "We saw him yesterday."

Makoto sighed and his droopy eyes seemed to get droopier. "Here I was thinking you'd finally get to swim if you came. Samezuke is supposed to have an indoor swimming pool."

Like yesterday, this got Haruka's attention and his eyes of longing appeared again.

We went to the train station and got on the metro that would take us to the next town. Nagisa took a nap on Haruka's arms while Makoto and I had a conversation.

"Why were you at Haru's house?"

"I got locked out and he offered a roof over my head until my brother came. He won't be home until much later."

"Your blazer and tie are gone. You look a little sweaty too." he mentioned.

I gave him a dirty look, "Thank you captain obvious, you know, some people can't look as nice as you. Maybe I like looking like a total slob." In my mind, I was smirking. Messing with people is my one time favorite things to do.

Makoto took the bait and looked panicked. "W-What, no I didn't mean that! I-I'm sorry, I just thought–"

"God, it's always about _you_ isn't it…" I grumble.

"Hey! No I just– I mean, uh…" he freezes in place when I laugh hysterically out loud. Makoto was blown by my suddenness.

"I'm just m-messing with you, I-I'm sorry, but that was really f-funny." I burst out another laugh, making Haruka turn to look at me oddly.

Makoto looked at me with a small hint of anger flashed in his eyes, but it faded into his calm zen again. He also chuckled along and told me to never do that to him again. When I bent my waist down, I felt something slide down my face and a small smashing sound was heard. I opened my eyes to see my broken glasses.

"Oh no…" I frantically picked up my frame and plucked up one lens shard at a time until they were all in my hands. I looked down with fear hammering my chest. I bring my face up to see that everything was clear but the horizon outside the metro window was fuzzy.

"Your glasses Hana, that's not good." Makoto noted. "Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

I looked up at him, and shake my head. "My brother still isn't home so I guess I'll stay with you guys. They were only for distance anyway, so it's not that big of a deal."

I noticed something strange about Makoto. His expression grew from concern to disbelief, like I grew another head. I title my head to the side puzzled by his feeling. Before I could question it, he shakes his head and turns back to Haruka.

"Okay…?" I mumble.

-:-

Samezuke Academy was an extremely large school. There were signs all over the place, but due to my sight, I could read out what they said. We watched the boys swim team practicing and I looked at them with envy. If they were swimming in salt water, I would strip off and jump in with them.

Haruka was about to take off his clothes but Makoto stopped him. I just looked at Haruka with sympathy and turned back to the boys' team, trying to help Nagisa find Rin. So far, we were unlucky.

When night time came upon us again, the four of us went inside the indoor and I heard Makoto commenting on how he regretted coming here. I ran to the edge to look at the water and noticed how beautiful it looked under the moonlight. The water was taunting me to jump in.

Haruka took off his clothes and jump in with his trunks still on. I watched him swimming so gracefully, almost like he was hugging the water with each stroke. I unconsciously began to unbutton the first buttons on my shirt, until I remembered I was around guys.

I didn't even hear Nagisa running past me, but he jumped right in and splashed some water on my clothes. When he resurfaced, I saw he had no trunks or clothes on. I backed away, my face burning. "Mako-chan, Hana-chan, come over here!"

Makoto stepped forward, looking tired and annoyed. "What now? I'm not going to join you–"

When his foot was at the edge, Nagisa grabbed him and began to pull. Makoto waved his arms around until he gripped my shirt and took me with him in the pool. When I broke the water surface, I felt cocooned in cold liquid making goose bumps form all over my skin. My large shirt floated around my body and I felt my pants get heavier. But after so many years of not feeling the water kiss my skin, I was willing to stay down forever. So I closed my eyes and floated.

But Nagisa had to ruin my moment when he pulled me up into the outside world. I inhaled deeply and I figured I was probably down there for a least a minute. They must've been worried about me. I open my eyes to see that Makoto and Nagisa were staring at me with open mouths. Makoto was shirtless and Nagisa was still naked. I'm confused and I feel like my back is more exposed. When I look down, I notice the problem. My shirt fell down to my elbows, exposing my white bra.

"Hanaru," Makoto squeaked while blushing furiously and covering his eyes. "Y-You're a– you're a… a–"

"I knew it!" Nagisa cried out and punched the air. "You are a girl!"

I lift my shirt to cover my bra, my breast weren't flat or big, but I still wasn't, as my brother would say, blossomed yet. When Makoto uncovers his eyes, he stammers with his words while Nagisa swims towards me. "How come you're pretending to be a boy Hana-chan?" he seemed quite happy to know I was a girl.

Before I could speak, we hear a noise entering the indoor pool. The three of us turn towards the source to see Rin with his hands in his pockets and a grim expression on. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Rin!" Nagisa calls out, "We came here to see you." For some reason, both Makoto and Nagisa's back were shielding me from Rin. I ask why, but Rin didn't seem to care.

"Get out."

"Rin-chan…" Nagisa was hurt by Rin's coldness. Even Makoto seemed very hurt. Some urge of anger rose in my chest and I sent a glare towards the scarlet hair young man.

"What's your problem?" I hiss at him. He raises a brow and scowls down at me.

"Mind your own business, jerk."

After his insult, something emerged from the waters in front of us. It was Haruka of course with his head down and hair dripping wet. You couldn't see the emotion of his face because it was hidden by his black locks. "Free…" he mumbled.

"Huh?" Rin was confused and so were we.

"Did you forget?" he asked. "I told you that I only swim freestyle."

Wait, what is he talking about? No one seemed to understand, actually no, me and Nagisa didn't seem to understand. Haruka lifted himself up out of the pool and stood in front of Rin. He whipped his hair out of his face but I couldn't see his expression.

"I want you to show me that sight again. I've forgotten what is was that I saw." Rin looked taken back for a second until he seemed to follow where Haruka was coming from. He dipped his head down slightly and replied.

"Sure, I can do that. But," he lifted his head again and his eyes seemed to flash with so much energy. "It won't be the same this time. I'll be showing you something completely different."

***Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know not a lot of romance happened at first but I like to take relationships slow and sometimes, make them crazy. So it you're confused, Hanaru is a girl, but she was accidently given a male uniform by the school and her hair is also choppy short almost like a boy. Please review and I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Thank you again!**


	2. Finding Happiness

***Author's Note: I do not own Free: Iwatobi Swim Club or their characters. But I do own the characters that are unfamiliar to the series. Please enjoy!**

(Chapter Two: Finding Happiness)

"Ah– pheeew!" I sneeze loudly and put a hand on my forehead. My skin was unnaturally warm.

I quickly remember why, and I start to regret going to Samezuke Academy and swimming in their pool. When the four of us where going home, my clothes were still drenched and I had to walked back to my house in the freezing night. Now I got a cold and my brother forbad me to go to school today. I was stuck in the house with him, hurray.

"Hanaru!" I hauled my upper body from my bed and watch as my brother, Kaoru, barges in my room with a bowl of hot liquid. "Have some more soup," he pushes the third dish in my hand. "Do you want a warm towel, or a book, or the computer, or some company, or more sleep, or–"

"I want you to go to work." I cut him off while sipping the liquid.

"Who needs work?" he said with a smile.

"You do!"

"But I have to take care of my little girl." he pats my head. When I look up at him, I never realized how different we actually are. Appearance wise I mean. He has orange hair while I have dark brown. He has hazel eyes while I have turquoise. His nose is much bigger than mine and he has freckles all over his pale body. My fair skin didn't even have one beauty mark.

I push his hand away, "You make me sound like I'm your daughter, which is creepy when I think about it. Most big brothers wouldn't even care about their little sister."

"But I'm a different and unique big brother."

"Yes you are…" I roll my eyes.

"Oh and I have surprise for you!" Kaoru hooted and ran out of the room. After a few seconds, he came back with a box.

"What's inside it?" I ask.

"Your _proper_ high school uniform, my love. Your school sent it to us last night." he rips the box apart. "Now you don't have to wear that boy's uniform anymore. It looked good on you, but it was also baggy and large. Beside, I'm sure the school made a mistake for calling you a boy." When the box is finally opened, Kaoru's face went white as he pulls out a dark blaze, a white dress shirt, and a red tie. This time, the uniform looked like it would fit me.

"Okay, I guess they keep making that same mistake. I don't care if I have to wear a boy's uniform. I think it's comfortable anyway."

Kaoru shoots up like a rocket and clenches his head with both hands. He then shouts, "Why do they think you're a boy!"

-:-

While I'm napping I dream about Haruka and Rin's race last night. After Makoto yelled go, the two flew off their platforms with so much force that both platforms shook vigorously. Rin was in the lead at first from his strong kick, but Haruka's stroke was much faster as he cut through the surface like a scissor.

Nagisa was shouting words of encouragement to Haruka while Makoto watched both swimmers carefully. When the two rivals pushed off on the opposite wall, they were both neck and neck which made my heart punch my chest repeatedly. I didn't understand why I was feeling so nervous, but the race turned into an all-out war.

Though it was strange towards the end. Haruka seemed to be slacking off before he could make the finish, which surprised me. When I looked more closely at his form, his body seemed more relaxed than tense. He seemed to realize how swimming was supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not this competitive. I felt my nerves cool down when I finally understood why.

Rin won, and he seemed pretty happy about it judging by the way he acted. Nagisa, Makoto, and I rush over to Haruka and saw how he was out of breath, but not disappointed about the loss. He looked more tired and relieved, like a weighted was just lifted from his shoulder. When he turned to Rin to congratulate him, the scarlet haired man returned his glare upon his face and pulled Haruka towards him forcefully by his blue goggles.

Before things got any uglier, a teacher ran into the pool and yelled at us about trespassing and told us to get out. Rin left quickly without another glance while the four of us went out in silent. My pants kept falling down, due to the weight of the water molecules trapped in the fabric, so I had to hold them up the whole ride home. Makoto didn't look at me while Nagisa told Haruka that I was really a girl.

"I know." he replied. This shocked both Makoto and Nagisa.

"When?"

"When I met her."

I never understood what the big deal was. I don't actually care if people think I'm a guy or girl, no one really cares anyway. I mean, I'm not going to go around town say, "Hi my name is Hanaru and I'm a girl." What's the big deal? I'm pretty sure people care more about personality instead of appearance so it's fine if I'm called a dude or dudette.

My brother even freaks out about the way my appearance is, coming from the man who's an entertainer and dresses up in both men and women costumes to please the public. The only thing I learned when I saw him dressed as a comical woman, it doesn't matter what you look like it matters more on the inside.

During the day, my energy begins to rise and my cold slowly decreases. I keep sneezing a few times, but it doesn't bother me at all. I was home alone for a few hours while my brother had to run some errands. When he returned, he shows me the new contacts he purchased for me after my glasses broke. I put them in and everything seems clearer than before. I sigh with relief.

While I was resting, my brother plays with his guitar and keyboard to fill the air with soothing music to comfort me. I think he gets his musical talent from our mother because she used to be a music teacher. It was magical to see, ever instrument she played was marvelous to listen too. Then she married my dad because she loved his singing voice. I never heard him sing before, and I'm sad that I never will.

Soon I'm out of bed and putting some normal clothes on. I wore my khakis and a black and white stripe shirt with tennis sneakers. While I'm cleaning my face, I sneeze once again and hear the doorbell go off. Kaoru was in his bedroom so I go answer the door. After opening it, my eyes widen when I see Nagisa on my doorsteps.

"Nagisa?" I question but he abruptly goes into a huge bear hug. I notice he was still wearing his school uniform.

"Hana-chan, why weren't you at school today?" he cried and I sigh at his childish ways.

"I wasn't feeling well," I pat his golden head. "But I'm better now and–"

He swiftly averts his face towards mine and this overly joyed boy is red with happiness. I get slightly scared. "Great, please come with me!"

Gripping my wrist like he was holding on for dear life, Nagisa violently forced me out of my home and dragged me all the way to Haruka's. I got one last glimpse of my brother who stood by the door way with a bewildered look.

-:-

"Whatever. Knock yourself out." Haruka blandly answered Nagisa's question.

Apparently, Nagisa had an idea that suddenly popped in his mind hours ago. He wanted to start a swim club.

Just hearing it made my own heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. That awful memory a few years ago replayed in my mind, a flashback that was planted in brain forever. I could almost feel the stinging sensation on my left cheek again. It was in the past now, but I still wanted to roll up in a ball and lay on my bed.

Nagisa was quiet excited about the answer, but Makoto seemed a little unsure. I sneezed loudly again. When we finally got Haruka out of the tube, the four of us made our way to the main room where we sat around a table. I noticed a girl with long scarlet hair kneeling next to me, but blushed and looked away.

Oh wait! She was the girl from two days ago. When I accidentally bumped into her as Nagisa pulled me around the entire school. I didn't catch her name, but I wasn't sure if I should ask because she seemed embarrassed about something.

I look up and watch as Haruka dried his hair with a towel, still in his trunks of course. Makoto too averted his eyes up to his body, a little hint of sympathy shown. "Are you sure about this?" he started. "We won't be doing this by ourselves. You're expected to join the club."

"I know." Haruka replied. His tone was still the same, except it sounded like he was trying to hide something.

"You sound like you don't want to do it, Haruka-sempai." I speak out. Haruka glared his blue eyes onto my turquoise ones, still drying himself with his towel.

"I do."

I was cut off by Nagisa before saying anything else. "Oh, yeah. Haru-chan and Hana-chan weren't with us the other day. This is Rin-chan's sister."

I felt my eyes grow to the size of dish plates. Looking back at the girl, my jaw dropped to the floor and I mentally smack myself in the head. She did have some kind of resemblance to him, with the hair and eyes, but the facial expression was too different. She gazed up at Haruka looking hopeful that he'll remember her.

"H-Hello, it's been a long time." she said.

"Matsuoka…" he dragged until it hit him. "Kou."

"Yes!" she gasped with glee. "I'm sorry about what my brother did yesterday." she apologized for Rin, but Haruka was indifferent about it.

"Don't sweat it."

Haruka put a baby blue sweater over his body and then tied an apron around. He stalked away to the kitchen preparing tea with Makoto calling out on how he had squid with him. I turn to Kou to introduce myself.

"My name is Suzuki Hanaru, Kou. I'm new to this school, but it's nice to meet you." I smile which for some reason signaled her to turn completely red and look away from my stare.

"Hanaru… that's a nice name…" she tapped her fingers together. Her eyes locked on the floor like she was having a staring contest with it, her face was still cherry red. "My real name is Gou, but I prefer to be called Kou please."

"Why? I like Gou, that's a nice name too. But I'll call you Kou if you want." I said. This made her whole body turn completely scarlet. Was I doing something that was embarrassing her?

"What? Wouldn't chocolate be better?" Nagisa complained out loud.

"We'll compromise and have mackerel." Haruka said without looking back. Isn't Mackerel a fish?

"That's not a compromise." the blonde stood up and trotted over. "I'll give you a hand! Is this okay?"

Makoto and I lock our eyes together for the first time today and we smile at Nagisa's energetic personality. He didn't seem to want to bring up the whole, _I-just-found-out-your-a-girl_ situation and honestly, I didn't care. Though at some points today, I would catch his eyes glued on me only to be flickered away quickly. Kou seemed to notice something and I turn to see her looking at the trophy Rin threw to the ground a couple days ago. It had a red ribbon tied around it. I also notice the picture of the four of them when they were younger celebrating, that same picture that made me jealous. Suddenly, I sneezed again.

"Are you okay Hanaru?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." I wipe my nose with my hand.

"Isn't this…"

"Ah, right." Makoto answered Kou quickly. "That's the trophy the four of us won as kids. Rin told us that he no longer needed it." I remember that. Kou picked up the photo and looked at it sadly.

"Are you okay Kou?" I snapped her from her thought. She was startled by my voice.

"Oh y-yes Hanaru," she blushed red again, but then it faded pink when a smile was placed on her face. "Everyone's smiling, I just noticed."

"Actually, Haru's the sole exception in the photo." Makoto nudged closer to me to get a better look. Nagisa came back with tea and kneel right in front of my back.

"Haru-chan is always smiling on the inside." he commented.

"You make him sound like a bad person." Kou giggled, and then she turned back to me. "Hanaru, did you do competitive swimming as well."

"Well," I rethink this threw before answering that question. I did do horseback riding too, but I thought it was unimportant to mention that. "Not the competitive swimming the boys did, I would race more in the ocean."

This caught everyone's attention as I watched them gape at me like fishes. I did compete in ocean races believe it or not, but they were more dangerous, so it's a reason they're not as popular around the world. It's also this special tradition to do this sport in the town I used to live in.

"How did you do that Hana-chan?" Nagisa questioned.

"They're all different actually, like swimming a mile out and coming back, or diving underwater, and my favorite, the island races." I explain.

"What's that?" Makoto asked.

"At my old home, we had two islands that are two and a half miles away from our shores. The race is simple to comprehend. Everyone has to swim to the first island and then follow a path when they get there. The path is three miles long, but when you get to the end, you have to swim a mile to the next island and do the five k all over again. The first person to get back to the shore wins."

"Is it like a circle?" Kou questioned like making an O in the air.

"Something similar to that." I nod. "So I'm more of a distance swimmer and runner."

"That's sounds so cool." Nagisa remarked on. "I wanna try that!"

"It's harder than you think…" I said, but his enthusiasm still shined brightly. I guess our topic was done because Makoto asked Kou a question.

"Oh, so is this the first time Rin's come back to Japan since he left?"

"Huh?" Kou was coming back to that topic. "Oh, he came back every year for New Year's."

"Really!" Nagisa exclaimed with distress. "And he never told us? That's mean."

"Why would he do that?" I ask her.

"Oh! I-I'm not exactly sure…" she looked down again.

This whole thing seemed oddly fishy. First Rin just happens to come back to everyone's lives but he pushes them away. To make it worse, he's really been coming every New Year's. Judging by the way he's acting, I can tell something is bothering him and that one of the guys caused him to feel that way. It made sense because of how cold he acted to all of them. My biggest guess was Haruka, but I don't want to be pointing fingers yet.

One by one, everyone started to leave Haruka's house. Kou bowed and went her way while Nagisa went to the train station. That left me and Makoto alone outside. For some reason, I felt slightly awkward about it because he did freak out about learning my true gender and wouldn't even make eye contact with me. I never understood why, but I wasn't going to ask.

Instead, he asked me a question.

"Are you a cross-dresser Hanaru?"

"Huh?" I was taken aback by his sudden curiosity. So I laugh and shake it off. "N-No it's not like that at all, it's just like what I said before, my school just sent me the wrong uniform and I have to live with it. I don't really mind the mistake."

"Oh," he sighed. "So why don't you just get a regular school girl uniform?"

I laugh at the memory this morning. "Well you see, they did send in another uniform before noon but the thing was they sent a boys uniform again. My brother freak about that, I was fine however. Why are you asking?" I was suspicious.

This caught him by surprise and he raise his hands in defense while nervously chuckling, "I'm just curious and want to know Nagisa's friends a little more. I'm sorry if I asked something too personal–"

"No Makoto-sempai!" I cut in. "It's not like that at all, really, but you just seemed so weird when found out I was a girl, so I hope I didn't scare you."

"Well, it was just a little twist of events." he rubbed the back of his head. "And it's not every day a girl is disguising herself as a boy."

"You'd be surprised…" I think back to my brother and his job for a second. I never realized this but compared to me, Makoto is very tall. I literally had to look up to him, which felt kind of terrifying, but I was happy to know he was a friendly giant.

"You know Makoto-sempai, I think you're pretty cool." I smile.

"C-Cool?" he stammered with embarrassment, blushes forming around his cheek bones.

"Yeah, you're a really nice guy, that's all. I'm happy to have met you." I show my teeth this time and feel my eyes droop a little. Okay, why is it that when I talk to someone they go tomato red in the face? Seriously I'm not causing this on purpose.

-:-

My stomach felt heavy, like I just swallowed a gigantic rock. My sandwich didn't even taste that good anymore, even if it was my brother's masterpiece. The juice even tasted sour on my tongue. Though, I think the reason I'm feeling this way is because of how guilty I felt.

A couple days ago, Nagisa was being pesky and trying to convince me to join their now opened club, but I refused his offer. The scene went something like this:

"Please _Hana-chan." he begged on his knees._

"_I already said no. Besides, girls can't join a boys club anyway."_

"_But you swam before and we really a fourth person!" he began tugging at my pants. "We can hide your sex and then you'll be able to join."_

"_Nagisa get off me! And you shouldn't persuade me after I gave you my final answer." I cry to him. He was so desperate that he wrapped his arms around my leg and cried into my knee._

"_Please Hana-chan! We need someone in order to start our club. We don't want to waste our perfectly new pool. Don't you want to feel the water again, like how Haru-chan does?"_

"_Nagisa get off me NOW!" I snapped at him with venom in my voice. Like a scared kitten, he removed his arms and crawled away a few feet, eyes shiny with fresh tears._

"_I-I'm sorry Hana-chan…" he whimpered. I was too mad to focus on how scared and depressed he looked. I literally couldn't take it anymore! I told myself I would never swim again and focus on my studies. That's what _he_ would want. _

"_I'm never swimming again Nagisa. Stop acting like a brat and leave me alone!" I growl and walk away. I could almost hear him sob a little to himself. Great, I just broke a sensitive boy's heart._

But I still didn't feel better about myself. It was the next day after what happened and I tried to avoid Nagisa and his friends as much as I could. I didn't even give any glances to the blonde boy during our classes together and whenever I saw Makoto or Haruka coming by in the hallway, I would turn back and walk the other direction. It was wrong to avoid them, but I'm good at shutting people away.

The days went by rather quickly and I felt my heart grow heavier each hour. I would catch a scene of Nagisa trying to win students, but he always got rejected. It was rather sad to watch because he tried so hard, but I couldn't show it on my face. I promised I would never swim again and I had to keep that.

After school one day, I went to a nearby fast food restaurant to pick up some dinner tonight. I was standing line, patiently waiting for the person in front of me to order, when I caught a glimpse of scarlet locks. I turn to see that it was none other than Kou.

"Kou!" I called out to her.

Once her head rotated in my direction, her eyes widened and that same blush came back. "Hanaru!"

-:-

Kou came to visit the boys the next day while bringing juice and a few snacks which they were thankful for. Haruka and Nagisa were in the empty pool, covering the cracks with blue paint while Makoto was coloring the fence green. Kou began to walk over to Makoto, wanting to have a small conversation with him.

"I'll leave the juice here." she offered the plastic bag and put down by Makoto's feet.

"Thanks." he replied.

"I don't quite get it, though," she started and knelt down. Makoto looked rather puzzled. "Why didn't you try to start a swim club when you were first-years?"

The second-year had to think about it, almost like she had a point. He answered, "Haru wasn't interested."

"But he's such a good swimmer."

"Haru joined the swim club in middle school, but he quit at the end of our first year."

"Did something happen?" she investigated.

"No idea." he confessed. "He didn't want to talk about it. Our old swim club was shut down around the same time, and Haru hasn't done any competitive swimming ever since."

Kou looked back at Haruka who kept painting and felt pity for her brother's old friend. "So he wanted to quit swimming." She started to remember her conversation with Hanaru yesterday.

"Probably," Makoto answered. "Oh, Kou."

"Hm?" she turned back to him and watched as his eyes grew increasingly interested.

"Have you seen Hanaru in the last couple of days? Nagisa said she needed some alone time, but I want to make sure she's okay."

"Oh!" Kou tried to fight back her humility and bit her tongue after hearing _she_. "Actually, I met up with him– her yesterday and we started talking for a while." She retold her yesterday event.

_Hanaru was at the same fast food place she was yesterday and he called out Kou's name, which made her incredibly happy. She had a crush on the new boy after all, but it felt so weird. She would normally fawn over men with amazing looking muscles, but there was something about Hanaru that was different. He was pretty slender with only a little muscle and her same height, except it was his big turquoise eyes and appealing face that got to her. He also seemed more down to earth and opened with himself, like he would be a perfect boyfriend to have._

_A lot of Kou's friends also seemed to have a liking for the new boy, but Kou felt determined to get to know him better. So they sat down and began to chitchat about what they've been doing. Kou felt pretty proud of herself for not blushing red again. That was mortifying at Haruka's house. She explained how she went to go visit her brother and learned that he was not on the Samezuke swim team, which surprised both her and Hanaru greatly. She also asked Hanaru if he was going to join the swim club because she hasn't seen him helping out with the pool._

_Hanaru choked a little on his drink, which Kou was a little shocked to witness._

"_N-No, I'm not joining the swim club." he coughed in his arm._

"_What why? I thought you were friends with the others." she was confused. Hanaru recovered from his choking state and looked out the wide window._

"_I don't actually know if they are my friends. I mean, I just met them a couple days ago, but I'm not as close as they want me to be. For the club, I just have personal reasons that I'm sure no one would care about." he sighed deeply, making Kou's heart race a little._

"_You can tell me!" she abruptly leaned forward to him, startling the boy a bit. "I'll listen, and I promise I won't tell. I'm really good at keeping secrets and I want to help if you have a problem."_

_Hanaru was hesitant at first, but Kou wasn't sure if it was because of her sudden offer or that she was three inches away from his face. He smelled so good, like warm vanilla. Hanaru began to think to himself, Kou could tell from that cute serious face. It took a whole minute for him to reply back._

"_Um… I don't actually know. I mean, I don't want to bore you or anything."_

"_You won't!" she said rather rapidly. "I mean, it's fine… please, tell me why you won't join the swim club." she recovered herself. Hanaru took a breath and began to explain._

"Wait, so she doesn't want to join the swim club because she gave up on swimming? Like Haru?" Makoto explained.

When Kou was done, she left out the part when she discovered that Hanaru was really a girl who mistakenly got a boys uniform instead of a girls one. After their conversation, Kou asked him if he had a girlfriend and Hanaru said that she wasn't gay. At first, she was confused by his replied, until she finally put the pieces together. It was the most shocking news she's ever heard in her life, and she felt like such a fool. Now she couldn't look at Hanaru the right way anymore without getting white in the face from fear. But she also felt much closer to Hanaru in a strange way, so maybe there will be a chance for them to be friends in the future. Except, her future friend was alone.

"Well, there's more to it, but he– she didn't want to explain anymore to me. She's just like my brother and Haruka, the three of them seem so unhappy."

-:-

I picked at my dinner with my chopsticks, making weird shapes with my sauce and tiny pieces with my meat. I wasn't hungry, which was a little odd.

"Hanaru, why aren't you eating?" Kaoru asked me. I looked at him and saw a worried expression masked on his face. For a second he looked like our father, but that snapped away from my thoughts when I spoke.

"I'm not hungry I guess, I'm sorry." I mumble. He shakes his head.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, but you haven't eaten that much for a couple days now. Is it a woman thing? Are you on your–"

"Huh!" I interrupt. "No it's nothing like that! I'm just not hungry that's all."

"You're not sick again right?"

"No, I'm fine really." I bite back my annoyance. He could get irritating when he asks too many questions.

"You're not fine." he sighed. I perk my head up and give him a strange look. "I've seen you do this before, when dad died and when Mischief got sold. You're depressed."

Hearing my dad and my old horse Mischief made me choke. I turn my eyes back to my plate like a cowardly little girl. Kaoru could easily read my like a book, it was quite unreal. I guess it's because we only have each other and fear the idea that we might get separated. We're so open with one another, but when we're not, we automatically know something is wrong.

"Why would I be depressed?" I squeak.

"I don't know, and I'll be fine if you don't want to tell me. But I don't like to see you in this state Hanaru." he crawls around the table to get closer to me.

"I'm not in any state and I'm not depressed!" I defend. He didn't seem to take notice in that as he swung his arm around my shoulders and brought me closer to his body. His heart was beating against his chest and my ear was close enough to hear the soft melody. Perfume was slithering off his skin and my nose inhaled the scent. I didn't talk, I only listened.

"I know our life has been a little wild over the years, but I thought we could come back to Iwatobi to start all over. Begin a new untroubled life with no family disturbing it. I know it might not seem much now, but over time, maybe something great will happen. Something that will make us both happy again.

"That's all I'm asking Hanaru, I just want you to be happy. You're allowed to feel that way. But you keep holding on to the past which is preventing you from finding it. You have to let it go Hanaru, or else you'll miss out on great opportunities. Can you do me that favor? That's all I'm asking from you. Don't be that frighten little girl anymore, you're stronger than that."

I was so flabbergasted from his short speech. I never knew my brother could be so, intelligent. I knew he loved me, but I never thought he would love me that much.

"I guess…" I whisper. I knew what he was talking about too. Letting go of the past is the hardest thing for me to do. I always remember my least favorite memories and feel that gloom surround me like a cloak I'm unable to shake off. "How do I let go of the past?" I ask him.

I sense him smiling down at me, a beam of happiness he is well known for. "You do something you like to distract you."

-:-

"Huh? She's not here?" Nagisa asked with a defeated face. He wanted to visit Hanaru tonight and tell her more about the swim club. How Gou joined and became the fourth member, how the pool is done and filled with water, and how it's now opened for business. Since Gou joined, he had high expectations that Hanaru will too.

Expect when her older brother came to answer the door, he told him that Hanaru was out. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" the orange haired man was wary about the blonde boy asking for his sister.

"Oh, I'm Hazuki Nagisa!" he greeted with a pleasing smile. "I'm in Hana-chan's class and we're also friends."

"Hana-chan? Friends…?" Kaoru seemed confused by that last word. This caught Nagisa's attention.

"Hasn't she mentioned me or my other friends? Like Haruka or Makoto or Gou?"

"No, she hasn't actually. Are you sure it's the same Hanaru?" the brother was skeptical.

"Of course, I kidnapped her yesterday."

"That was you!" he yelled with disbelief.

"Yeah," Nagisa rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry, but you see, we were planning on making a swim club in our school and I wanted Hana-chan to be a part of our meeting. But she doesn't seem to want to join…" he trailed off with glumness in his voice.

"Swim club…" Kaoru mumbled to himself looking utterly perplexed, until something abruptly hit him. It was like a lightning bolt just struck his whole body. Before Nagisa could question, Kaoru interrupted. "Um, I have to go now. Do you need money for the train or anything?"

"N-No, thank you." Nagisa was puzzled by the man's new action and how he just offered someone money just like that. Then with nothing else to say, he departed from Hanaru's house.

Nagisa walked on the side walk with a view of the beach to his left. He looked out and watched the sunset sinking into the horizon, turning the sky into various colors. The ocean was swaying calmly, the waves rising up the sand and then departing back to the wide sea. Nagisa liked that view. He wished he could live by the sea with his friends, that life would be so much better.

However, he halted after catching a figure in the water. Rapidly wheeling his head back to the speck, he narrowed his eyes to make out who it was. The distance was too far and the person was practically invisible with that black body suit surrounded by dark water. Nagisa took a couple steps forward to get a better view, but the person went underwater. He waited a few seconds until a familiar head broke the water surface, gasping for air.

Nagisa was stunned to see that it was Hanaru, the girl he wanted to see fifteen minutes ago. Her face was paler than usual and a blue color was painted a cross her lips. She must've been freezing. It was not that warm to go out in the ocean. Especially since the sun was going down!

The blonde boy was tempted to call out to her, but he couldn't find his voice. Why though? He wanted to tell her about the swim club, how Gou joined, and how she should join too. This was so unlike him, he's always blabbering things out without thinking first. So what was forcing him to stay quiet?

So he stood there and watched her from a far. She swam against the currents so easily, so her arms and legs must've been strong. The way she paddled through the salt water almost looked like she was fighting it. Those slender arms were tense as she did her strokes, but it looked so beautiful to watch. She wasn't like Haruka and she didn't have his freestyle. Hanaru was more powerful and aggressive in the water, not free at all. If she was, than her swimming would've looked so radiant.

During her swims, she would drive into the water and stay down there for God knows how long. Nagisa wondered if she could hold her breath for an inhumanly amount of time. The way she went for air a minute later, he could've guessed she's been practicing and trying to expand her lungs for her whole life. Her lungs must've been strong and incredibly clean.

When she swam to the shore and walked out of the sea, her eyes were closed dreamingly. She was breathing in and out, possibly smelling the sea, and gripping her now salted wet hair. Her pink tongue stroked her peach lips until they were shiny with salvia. The edge of her lips also began to curve up slowly until her high cheek bones where rosy red. Nagisa witnessed her eyelids opening without hurry and then saw those bright turquoise eyes gazing towards the golden sand.

For the first, Nagisa has actually seen Hanaru look happy. This sight was so wonderful to see. Her smile was small, but it revealed so much. It was a feeling that seemed to have been buried under Hanaru's other emotions for so long, until it finally rose up and exploded with life. Like a firework.

In his eyes, Nagisa could've smiled with glee as well and run to greet his friend. Except he didn't and it was smart not to. She seemed too peaceful right now and he'd rather not destroy that image. Swimming seems to make her happy, so why was she not accepting that? Maybe she didn't want to be happy… no that's such a silly thought, of course she wants to be happy. But how was Nagisa supposed to help her with that? The swim club seemed like a good option, but he knew what Makoto would say.

"You should give people their time, maybe she wants to take it slow."

Nagisa knew she would be mad at him for persuading her to join the club again, like before, but he wanted to help the sea turtle find her joy in swimming again. And he wasn't going down easily.

***Author's Note: I hope I wasn't long to update the next chapter. Thank you all for support on the first chapter, it means a lot and I'm really happy you like Hanaru. For the confusion last chapter, I decided to change her name because I thought Hanaru was a better fit. So now that's fixed!**

**For a preview next chapter: Nagisa tried to recruit Rei and Hanaru to join the club, and the two victims have a serious discussion about that. Also, Hanaru has a humiliating accident in the Samezuke swimming pool.**

**Please review or favorite or follow my story, because you love it so much. Until next chapter, I'll see you next week!**

-Phoenix


	3. When it Hits You

***Author's Note: I do not own Free: Iwatobi Swim Club or their characters. But I do own the characters that are unfamiliar to the series. Please enjoy!**

(Chapter Three: When it Hits You)

I had a dream I was flying, but not in the sky, in the sea. My arms were stretched out in front of my body and my legs kicked through the salt water to move me forward. I heard clicking noises from dolphins and hums from the whales, filling the empty area with soft pretty tunes. The water didn't seem to affect my breathing, like I unnaturally grew gills. This made me feel like some mermaid without the fish tail.

With force, I stopped my legs from moving around and floated through the blue waters. I was enjoying this aquatic heaven for what seemed like an eternity. It was opened and vast, with no marine creature in sight. I liked this dream, it made me feel happy. I was underwater and away from the surface, hiding from people who would want to put me down. No one would be able to reach me. I would just float around and not have to worry about anything. That was my splendid dream.

Until my alarm clock went off.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I executed my interrupter by repeatedly banging it against my wooden desk until it finally went silent. Yawning, I get out of bed and walk to my bathroom to freshen up. In the mirror, I stared at the girl who glared back at me with grey rings under the eyes, messier choppy hair, revolting morning breath, and a booger in her nose. If I was the walking dead, somebody better shoot me in the head right now.

After ten minutes, I'm finally ready and go to the main room to have my breakfast. I see Kaoru in the kitchen as he prepares toast for the both of us. He must've gotten out of bed because his pajamas were still on and his hair was all over the place, except when he woke up he wasn't as nauseating looking like me.

"Good morning Hanaru!" he greets me with that goofy smile.

"Morning Big Brother," I reply and pick a grape from our fruit bowl. Popping it in my mouth, I chew and ask, "Why did you stay up late last night?"

"I was looking through our old boxes in the closet and found some really cool things." he pointed a finger in the direction that lead to a small book shelf. "Like those pictures over there."

I walk forward and discover an old photo frame with a picture of a happy family. It was us. My dad had his arm swung around my mother's shoulder while she grin and held two children on her lap. The goofy orange head boy giving a wild smile was my brother and the calm, quiet one with a small smile on his left was me. It was a picture families would treasure for a long time, and for some reason, we put it in a crummy old box that was probably forgotten. I was so overjoyed that my brother had found it.

On the left was a perfect face shot of my mother while on the left was my dad. Just looking at those two pictures, I felt like their eyes were watching me, like they were possibly here.

"I like it…" I tell Kaoru.

"I thought you would…" he trailed.

"What else did you find?"

"Oh! Look in the box by our table. I think you'll love this one also." he shouted positively and I turn to meet the medium size cardboard box lying next to my breakfast. How on earth did I miss that? Am I really that oblivious?

Apprehensively, I go over and kneel down. Using both my hands to swing the box open, I stare down at what was inside.

"It's your old swimsuits Hanaru!" Kaoru stated the obvious.

-:-

Nagisa always takes the train to school, which he didn't really like that much because he felt lonely. Haruka and Makoto walk to school together every day. Nagisa tried to talk to his other peers that took the train but they always brushed him off coldly.

But right now, going to school singly was the least of his problem. His real concern was that he needed to recruit another member for the club so the swim team can do relay races together.

'_We need another member,'_ he thought to himself. _'But it'll be hard to find one now. I was turned down by everyone I asked last time. And Hanaru still won't take part in the swim club.'_

Sighing, he looked up to see a tall first-year with midnight blue hair and striking purple eyes with red glasses over them. He stood up while holding a rail with one hand as the other held a small yellow book that read Physical Training on the front.

"Ryugazaki-kun." Nagisa tried to get his attention. The serious young man rotated his head a few centimeters towards the blonde with indifference written over his eyes. This didn't bother Nagisa at all. "You go to school by train?"

"Yes." the bluenette mumbled and returned his attention back to the book. Nagisa was still smiling up at him gleefully, like his cold rejection had no effect on him. Nagisa decided to try his offer on him.

"Oh, by the way… I wanted to ask you a favor, as a classmate…"

"I won't join the Swim Club." the first-year cut him off without looking up. Nagisa was so amazed, like he just read his mind. Maybe he has telepathic powers?

"Huh? How did you know before I said anything?"

The boy began stating out his reasons. "It was easy enough to guess, considering the recruiting posters in your bag, and those swimsuit Iwatobi-chan straps you probably plan to give to new recruits."

Nagisa stared down at his bag with everything he just said and gaped like a fool. Ryugazaki was intelligent, not a wizard. This got the blonde interested in his classmate more. When the train stopped at the next platform, the bluenette put down his book and pushed up his glasses, glaring down at Nagisa sharply.

"As I mention before, I already joined the track team. Goodbye."

He departed off the train, much to Nagisa's confusion.

"Huh! Why? The school is the next station." he tried crying out to him, but the tall young man ignored his presence and walked away.

Ten minutes later, Nagisa had the side of his face up against the glass and he gazed at the sight he saw enviously. Ryugazaki ran beside the train in a field of flowers that blossomed so lively. His green backpack was strapped around his back tightly so nothing would bounce as he jogged.

"Wow." Nagisa mumbled, very impressed. He was oblivious to the irritated looks two girls gave him. "He runs the last stretch every day!"

-:-

For our history project today, our teacher put each student into pairs in order for us to work together. The task was quite simple actually, we would both have to read a current event article and explain what the topic was to the class. I was partnered up with Ryugazaki, a boy with short blue hair and inhumanly purple eyes that had this strong humorless look when he turned to you. We both didn't seem to mind, considering the fact that we were basically the top students in our class and maybe the sanest ones as well.

We began reading the articles out loud, taking turns on each paragraph. While Ryugazaki began to read his part, I felt a tingle on the back of my neck and turned to see Nagisa waving to the both of us.

"Hi Hana-chan! Hi Ryugazaki-kun!" he tried to whisper to us, even though I could hear him from across the class.

I gave him a look and noticed how my partner sighed with agitation, shaking his head slowly. I raise a brow at his action. "Do you know Nagisa?"

"No, but he's been pestering me to join that newly opened swim club all morning."

I make an o with my lips while my eyes lit up. Nagisa still needs members? I thought Gou joined, do they still need more? For a while, that same guilt I've been feeling for a couple days danced around in my stomach again to the point where I thought I was going to be sick. It finally pasted, but I began to feel distressed. So I talk to Ryugazaki about it.

"Same here, but I think he's done worse with me than you." I said, remembering how the blonde literally cried when I said I wouldn't join.

The blue haired boy looked up at me curiously, "Than join so he'll leave me alone."

"What?" I choke out. "Didn't you hear what I said, I won't join either."

"Do you have a reason? Mine is because I already committed myself to the track team. What about you Suzuki?" he glared those purple eyes into my own, but I stood strong and fought his intimidated look.

"My reasons are more personal than yours." I say.

He shrugs and turns back to the article like our discussion didn't even exist. I never understood what made that boy so icy.

After class, the lunch hour came and I basically did what I've been doing for the last couple of days. Sit at my desk alone as I feast on my food with no blonde boy coming over to disturb me.

"Hana-chan!" I stand corrected. "We haven't talked in a long time. Are you done being alone?"

What I didn't understand about Nagisa was that he can say that with such a clear face he never forced on. Almost as if he never cared about the way people acted so hard on him. Being nice was his only weapon of defense.

"I guess." I say, sucking down my juice box. He comes closer to me, but I don't hesitate.

"Let's talk about swimming Hana-chan, or the ocean. You like the ocean right?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you like it better than a pool?"

"It depends."

"Huh? How so?"

"I like salt more than chlorine." I explain patiently. "I assume you like the pool?"

"I like the pool and ocean, I have no favorites!" he cried while tossing his arms up. I think he was grateful that we're actually talking again. "Then again, I've never actually seen you swim in a pool before."

"Or in the ocean." I state out, the memory of swimming in the open water two days ago flowed through my mind like wave currents. I smell something salty, but shake it off.

"Actually, I have seen you swim in the ocean. I think it was two days ago when I was coming back from your– Haruka's house." he giggled uncomfortably.

Something must've sucker punched me in the gut because for a few seconds I couldn't breathe. I felt my eyes bug out of my sockets and my teeth grinding against each other. Nagisa saw me swimming? That was supposed to be private!

I turn and glower at him. Nagisa slowly moved back an inch, daunted by my look. "You were spying on me?"

"No Hana-chan, I didn't mean to!" he tried to give his explanation. "I mean, I wasn't planning on it, honest!" he crossed his heart. "I just saw you swimming, that's all, and I thought you were really good. Especially when you held your breath underwater for a long time, you're like a sea turtle or something."

His face beamed again and a twinkle sparked in both his rosy eyes. He was impressed by me.

"Great simile," I sigh, "Thanks, but it's really nothing. I just haven't swum in a while, so it was nice to get back into it for a day." Nagisa slammed his pale hands on my desk and came closer to my face. To my surprise, I was startled greatly by his unforeseen action.

"But it shouldn't have been _a day_. It should've been a couple days ago, or yesterday, and today, and even tomorrow. It should be like that everyday Hana-chan. Don't you understand? You want to get back into swimming! I can see it in your eyes!"

"And my small veins and pupil because your face is _really_ close to mine right now." I tell him dully, feeling his warm breath exhale on my mouth and nose.

"Oh sorry," he backs away. "I'm serious though, you have to join–"

"I have to join the swim club, yes I know Nagisa, because than we'll all be together." I get up, grabbing my bag and unfinished lunch. "But my answer will still be no."

And I leave.

-:-

"Should the poster be flashier?" Nagisa questioned to himself, judging the look of the swim club poster he put up on the bulletin board. Catching a glimpse of blue, he turned to see Ryugazaki walking by, his nose in that same book from earlier.

Excited, Nagisa called out to him, but the young man turned away into the boy's locker area. The blonde followed from behind, taking no notice that his classmate was ignoring him.

"Wait, Ryugazaki-kun. Let's go home together," he made paddle movements with his arms. "We can talk about swimming."

"I have practice now." the bluenette opened his locker to take out his running sneakers. "And there's nothing you can say, that will convince me to join the swim club."

He gave a hard chilly look to Nagisa and casually walked away from him. His look felt like an arrow though the cheerful boy's jolly heart. His face began to turn despondent as he whimpered. "Ryugazaki-kun, you're so cold."

'_Just like Hanaru…'_ he thought miserably.

Looking back at his locker curiously, he spotted Ryugazaki's first name. Nagisa felt like a shock of hope electrocuted his entire body.

Racing around the school to gather up the swim club members, he dragged Haruka to the school track while Makoto and Kou followed closely behind.

"This way! I found the perfect person." he pointed towards the pole-vaulters.

Makoto looked around curiously, a little puzzled by Nagisa's sudden change in sport. "The track team? He can't join us, then."

"Look, over there." Everyone's gaze went towards a rather tall first-year with dark blue hair. He wore his track uniform with a pair of orange sport glasses on his face. Just like everyone else, he was stretching his arms, making his muscles pop out. "It's his fate!" Nagisa announced excitedly.

"Was he on the swim team in middle school?" Haruka asked.

"Does he hold a record?" Kou wondered.

"It's his name."

"Huh?" everyone cried in unison, dumbfounded by Nagisa's logic. The blonde, however, thought his reasoning made a lot of sense.

"Yep, it's Ryugazaki Rei-chan. He's the same as us, a boy with a girly name."

"That's your reason?" Kou gasped out, hoping that her peer was joking. Sadly, he gave her a serious nod and she sighed. Looking back at their blue headed victim, she studied his structure and began to admire his built body. "But I have to agree. Look at those deltoids..."

Pink blushes appeared on both her cheeks.

"That's your reason?" Makoto exclaimed. "You really think those reasons are enough?"

"My reason is very good!" Gou defended.

"That's right Mako-chan!" Nagisa fought back too. "Go with your gut on these things."

"Hey, it looks like he's about to jump." Haruka spoke out, maybe for the second time since they got here.

The crew found Ryugazaki at the starting point, swinging around his pole and mumbling words no one could understand quietly, as if he was whispering to himself. Then, he began to run towards the gigantic mat. Eighteen strides were all it took before he planted the pole tip into the box and swung is body up.

Struck with awe, the swim club watched him as he curved over the bar perfectly without his body even touching it. He fell softly onto the mat, cueing the watchers to comment on his performance.

"His form was beautiful." Nagisa envied.

"He's probably a great diver." Makoto predicted.

"Absolutely! And his biceps are also beautiful!" Kou drooled.

"Is that all you care about?" the olive green haired young man questioned shockingly. Haruka just kept quiet.

Nagisa watched Rei closely, mumbling a few more things that got the blonde feeling inquisitive. He seemed perfect to recruit, but the only problem was, how was he going to persuade him? He turned towards the right direction and spotted Hanaru sitting cross-legged by the fence reading a book. She seemed engrossed in what she was reading and oblivious to the world around her. Her appearance really did make her look manly from there, expect when she turned her face up and looked at you. Those big turquoise eyes were enough to give away her actual gender, but lucky for her, she didn't have many friends so no one would notice. Nagisa then remembers something important.

"Guys! Guys!" All heads turned back to the jumpy blonde. "We need Rei-chan _and_ Hana-chan. I forgot to mention her before."

"I thought she didn't want to join clubs." Makoto remembered.

"And she can't compete because she's a girl," Kou informed him, looking slightly white for some apparent reason. "It's a boy's only team."

"You're a girl on a boy's only team." Nagisa reminded her.

"I'm you manager!"

"But that's the point. She has to join because she's dressed like a boy. Just like Rei-chan, it must be fate that made her chop of her hair, get a boy's uniform, and meet us all." Looks of confusion and mixed feelings were shown. "Don't you see, if Rei-chan and Hana-chan join, we'll have more members and even higher chances of winning tournaments. Everyone thinks she's a boy anyway so it might be easier to get her in. She's a distance swimmer, so she can take part in longer meter freestyle races. That's the only stroke she knows."

"She can't swim free." Haruka said.

"Don't say that Haru-chan, but do understand where I'm coming from?" Nagisa widened his arms out, openly ready to get some answers from his friends. Haruka seemed to be thinking, expect it didn't show much on his face. Makoto looked slightly uncomfortable with the idea, but had no reason to argue with his friend, even if the new girl might put down the offer. The only one who spoke first was Kou.

"I suppose, it makes a lot of sense. But how are we going to convince her to join? For all we know, she may just reject us again. And if she does join, how are we going to be responsible with keeping her true gender a secret?"

"You're thinking overhead Gou-chan." Nagisa smiled sweetly, ignoring the girl's complaint about her new and _correct _name. "Right now, we have to recruit two people into our club and soon. At this moment, the only thing we can do is to just keep asking until they finally agree."

-:-

Ever since I moved to Iwatobi, I've walked to and from school on the same path solo. No one accompanied me and I was okay with that. But meeting up with Haruka and Makoto, I immediately felt a shudder of discomfort racing around my body.

Makoto called out to me when he spotted my presence up ahead and invited me to walk back home with them. There was no option for that because if I refused, it would've been incredibly awkward. Forcing a smile, I went out of my comfort zone and strolled next to the tall young man. The two of us filled the silence with a conversation while Haruka kept to himself.

"Are you enjoying school so far?" Makoto asked me. I think he asked me that question before.

"Yeah, but I feel like the lessons we're being taught are a little _too_ easy for my taste."

"You must be really smart than." he grinned down at me.

"I'm okay," I shrug. "I'm mostly interested in literature, with all the books and writing we have to do."

"Is that your favorite subject?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"Mine too, I guess we have more things in common than we actually thought." his voice was sweeter than honey, it made me feel a little strange about him.

I nod my head again but kept silent this time. The walk home felt like an eternity, making me grow very impatient. Makoto kept trying to create small talk between Haruka and I, not getting the idea that we just wanted to be left alone. When he finally did, he gave a sigh of defeat and zipped his own lips.

I kept looking back at the ocean that was on our right, wondering how Nagisa could have seen me swimming. The beach was very broad, stretching down on both sides until they reached the edges of town. Maybe it was luck or his senses are keener than I though. But swimming? How horrifying. That was a onetime event I will never do again, but the ocean kept taunting me. I felt like a dog that wanted to go out and run, but my owner just caged me in. So I whimper.

Makoto must've caught me eyeing the ocean because he interrupted my thoughts, "Do you miss swimming?"

"Huh?" I gasp, my eyes getting slightly wild. "Of course not, why would you think that?"

"You just keep staring at it, so I thought…" he trailed, sounding a little unsure of himself. He was trying to say something but didn't seem to find the right words. I watched his green eyes move from me to Haruka to that garbage can straight ahead, like he was trying to find answers. I was puzzled.

"You thought what?"

"I…" he gulped and looked towards Haruka again, but the young man didn't even look at us. "I thought that maybe you'd feel rather comfortable– I mean, I just think it's a good idea… well, if you don't think–"

"He wants you to join the swim club." Haruka broke in.

I felt like a bowling ball just fell on my chest. I froze in place, as if my feet were just super glued to the ground. Makoto turned to look at me with a nervous stare while Haruka watched my every move. Then, my anger rose making my face turn beat red. Now I understand why Makoto invited me to walk with them.

"Did Nagisa put you two up to this?" I growl.

"Y-yeah… well I mean he suggested it and we… umm…" Makoto stammered. My annoyance finally reached to its point. I promised myself that I was going to strangle that little blonde monkey the next time I saw him. I was completely fed up. "Hanaru, you don't have to join–"

"I know I don't have to join," I hissed. "But for some apparent reason, Nagisa doesn't seem to get that." both my hands tighten into fist and I glared down at floor, imagining Nagisa's pale face painted right there.

"I know you gave up swimming a long time ago, Hanaru, but maybe you should give it a second chance. It'll be fun," Makoto put out a hand, like he was offering it to me. "Just swimming together, I'm sure you would enjoy it. We all had fun when you were with us."

I glared at him, making him shake under my stare.

"I'm just getting so sick and tired of repeating myself to him and you two. I gave up swimming for a reason and I plan on keeping that promise." My voice started to grow louder and more furious. I didn't know why I was angry. Maybe for Nagisa always poking at me to join the swim club, or how I feel silently empty when I'm not around these guys, or how these two are now persuading me because Nagisa told them too, or the fact that I couldn't swim again, or moving here, or the new school, or my past. I was mixed up with so much emotion. I felt so wrathful that I thought I was going to blow up.

"Why can't you all just understand that no means no? Not maybe, not yes, _no_! Yes, I swam before and yes I did give it up, but I'm completely fine. I can go on living with dipping my whole body into chlorine or salt water. I can move forward without looking back! I can make my own decisions now! I don't need anyone to help me with my problems. I feel great doing that all on my own! I feel powerful! I feel… I feel… I feel _free_ now!"

I gasped for air when I was done with my screaming. It was odd, my chest felt much lighter than how it usually is. I just let out everything I had inside me for some many years; I don't even know who I was angry at anymore. My face grew so hot that sweat stream down the back of my neck. I never felt so strong before, so in control. I loved the feeling because it made me feel bigger than everyone else.

"You're not free." Haruka said.

I perk my head, looking at both boys for the first time after my outburst. Makoto looked slightly hurt but at the same time compassionate towards me. His green eyes were even droopier and his lips formed a sad curve. Haruka's face was like stone, I couldn't grasp what his feelings were. He just aimed his blue eyes towards me with no hint of anger or sympathy shown. I could only stare back with a questioning look.

"What?"

"You said you were free, but you're not," he said in his low voice. "I know what free is because that's what I swim. I know how it feels to be free, what it's like to be free. You are far from that."

"Haru…" Makoto warned him.

"I do know what free is." I bit back defensively. "You don't know anything Haruka-sempai, so how would you be able to tell if I was free or not?"

"Because you're slowly dying." he answered.

My throat went dry, like sandpaper. "I'm what?"

"You act like you never accepted the water before, but you have haven't you? Now, you're turning away from it for a reason I could care less about, and you know it wasn't your smart decision. You're thirsty Hanaru, you long for the water again, especially the ocean. But you're not free, and you never will be unless you put aside your stupidity. I hope that's clear."

He took a breath and wheeled his heels around to walk away from me. Makoto looked back, like he was about to say something, but no words came. We both just stared at each other for a while, shocked from Haruka's speech.

So I stood there, astounded by this water obsessive boy's counsel. A breeze pasts right through me and I looked back at the ocean. The salty air tickled my nose and cooled my heated up cheeks. I sigh.

Maybe I really wasn't free.

-:-

I was never fond of homework, especially when I had stack piles of books and papers on both sides of my desk. I wanted to stay after school to finish it all, because there was no way I was going to carry my work home without tumbling forward from the tons of weight in my bag. The teachers didn't seem to mind, so I sat there in my homeroom, alone with a lot of things to finish.

I was half way done when I rubbed my eyes from exhaustion and looked out the side window. The track team was still at practice and I straightaway spot my blue haired classmate, Ryugazaki. I watched him yesterday when I was reading my book, only giving a few glances to see what he did. He was a really good athlete, but I thought he may like the swim club a little more.

When he was doing another jump over the bar, the wind seemed to whisk by and throw him off balance. He fell imperfectly on the mat while his coach began to talk to him about his performance. After his lecture, Ryugazaki looked even more irritated than how he normally did. I saw some hurt in his eyes too, like his coach just said something negative he took offense too. Without care, I turn back to my homework.

Finally finished, I was exceedingly cheerful at the thought of going home and relaxing for a while. I grabbed my belongings from my locker and jogged to the front. When I flew opened the doors, I spotted another stranger walking down the school steps. Pausing at the sound of the doors, the person turns around and we both recognized each other right away.

"Ryugazaki-kun?"

"Suzuki-kun?" we both question each other at the same time.

"Why are you still here? Are you finally in that swim club?" he asked hopefully. My heart stings for a second.

"No, but I see Nagisa hasn't broken you yet."

"Broken me?"

"Into joining the club as well, hasn't he still been pestering you?"

He pushed up his red glasses and looked away, "Of course, but I keep refusing. It's quite tiring when I have to repeat myself over and over again."

"Yeah…" I feel that same sting in my heart again.

"Tell me Suzuki," Ryugazaki said to me. I look up at him with curiosity. "What's the real reason why you won't join the swim club?"

I catch my breath and bite my tongue at the same time. I've been thinking about that question all last night after Haruka's speech, how I'm not free and I never will be free. I don't even know why I'm fighting it anymore. Why I'm in this war with myself when I know that either way, I won't win. I sigh with defeat.

"I honestly don't even know why I keep putting the offer down. I love the water, but I can't accept that fact. It's hard for me, and I don't understand why it has to be difficult." I explain. Ryugazaki just stares at me, listening to everything I just said as he nods.

"You can't just reject something you love. It's not beautiful…"

"Beautiful?" I was confused on why he used that word. Where did that even come from?

"Never mind, the point is… you seem more content in the water than on land. I don't understand why it's hard for you to say yes to something you love."

"You just want me to join so Nagisa will stop asking you."

"Maybe… or maybe because I think you should be happy."

I stare blankly at him, like he just said something I've never heard before. It was weird, I have heard that before from my brother and Nagisa, but when Ryugazaki said it, I didn't know how to progress his words.

"Why would you care about what I'm feeling?" I ask.

He shrugs, "I have my reasons."

He turns to walk away from me, but I stop him in his tracks before he could reach the gate. Recalling what I saw an hour ago I call out, "Are you happy to be on track?"

His body stood still, not even turning to look towards me. It took a whole minute for him to answer. "I don't know."

-:-

This was Nagisa's last chance, the final idea to get Rei in the swim club. If convincing him wasn't going to work anymore, he might just have to plead.

Getting off the train last minute, he caught up with Rei before he could start his run. Nagisa was prepared for this morning. He ate a piece of toast with peanut butter smeared on it and drank a full bottle of water. His family was wondering why he dressed up in his gym clothes instead of his school uniform.

"Rei-chan, wait!" he called out to him.

His classmate jumped a little at the sound of his voice and puffed out with aggravation. Nagisa was sure Rei was getting tired of him, but he still kept on fighting.

"What do you want now?" he asked coldly.

"Can I," Nagisa started, "run with you?"

Rei just gazed back at him with interest. He then sighed, "If you can keep up." He started to jog away, making Nagisa feel victorious. Giving a small, _yes_, the blonde followed behind.

The two jogged down the road together, Rei of course a couple feet ahead, while Nagisa tried to catch him. Nagisa liked running, but he wasn't in the greatest shape to keep up with a track athlete. Feeling a couple cramps on his left side, he began a conversation with Rei to distract himself.

"This brings back memories." he stared at the blossoming flowers in the fields. Pink and green filled the country, making it really feel like spring. "I used to run with Haru-chan to the swimming club like this in grade school. Haru-chan always played it cool and said," he tried to mimic Haruka's voice. "If you can keep up."

"Who's this Haru-chan?" Rei asked when he turned to run in another direction. Nagisa turned too, coming back to reality.

"Oh, you go this way?"

"What do you want?" Rei finally asked. Nagisa took this opportunity to tell him about the joint practice at Samezuka Academy. Thanks to Gou, they were able to practice in an indoor pool.

"What do I want? I want you to join the swim club. We really need another member before our joint practice." he explained.

"Why does it have to be me?" Rei wondered. Nagisa thought about this for a second, thinking about what he was going to say.

"Because you're a boy with a girly name."

Rei stopped and turned to him. Nagisa too stopped when he saw his angry face. "That's your reason?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," Nagisa said plainly. Rei groaned and pinched his temples. Nagisa thought this through again before disappointing his friend. "But the main reason is because you looked beautiful." The last word got Rei's attention.

"When you were pole vaulting, your jump looked really beautiful, Rei-chan!" he complemented.

Rei turned pale, and then looked away with embarrassment. Nagisa saw the edge of his lips twitching. "Well…" he started, "I was just, following theory and calculation."

"That's not something everyone can do. I suck at that stuff." Nagisa noted, making Rei even more interested. The blonde then spread his arms out wide, "So I want you to use theory and calculation to look good swimming."

Nagisa thought he had him there for a second, until that darkness in Rei's purple eyes returned. "That's impossible. A swimmer must flap his arms and legs underwater, while struggling to break the surface for a grasp of air. You can't look good while doing that!" he stated the negatives.

Nagisa thought about this for a moment, and then said, "Really? But… Haru-chan is a beautiful swimmer. And so is Hana-chan."

"Huh?" Rei turned to him, "You saw Suzuki-kun swimming?"

"Yeah," this seemed to get his attention. "_He_ doesn't want to admit it, but he really is a beautiful swimmer. Not only beautiful, but also every powerful. When I watched him, I couldn't move my eyes away. Are you and Hana-chan friends?"

Rei stared at the ground, Nagisa assumed he was thinking. What about? He would never know. He just waited until Rei asked, "So, this joint practice?"

-:-

"What?" I stared at Ryugazaki after he walked up to me. He was in his red and white warm-up outfit, slightly sweaty, like he just ran. Maybe he did, that's eccentric. He talked.

"The swim club is having a joint practice at Samezuka Academy. You and I are going to go."

"Huh, wait, what joint practice?" I question him, utterly confused. "And why am I going?"

"Just come with me." he swiftly grasped my wrist and hauled me out of my seat. I was pulled out of the classroom, having no motivation to fight back.

When we reach the front gate of the school, I notice Haruka and Makoto crowding around Nagisa, who was hunched forward and breathing very heavily. Judging by his red gym clothes, I assume he ran to school as well. I wonder why.

He quickly found us walking towards the group, looking surprised about seeing the both of us together.

"Oh, Rei-chan! Hana-chan!"

Why is Nagisa using his first name? Are they both friends now?

Ryugazaki turn to Haruka, my wrist still trapped in his tight fingers. Makoto looked a little concerned for me while Nagisa listened carefully.

"You're Haru-chan, -san?" Rei asked him.

Haruka looked over his shoulders, "Don't put -chan or -san on my name." he warned.

Rei blurts, "We are both willing to participate in your joint practice as trial members."

His words felt like a knife jabbing into my stomach. When did he decide what I should and shouldn't do? That wasn't fair, especially for me. I would've objected except Rei squeezed my wrist aggressively to keep me quiet.

"What really?" Nagisa chirped. He turned to me with wide eyes, begging me to agree with Ryugazaki. Guilt concurred over my body at the thought of saying no. I couldn't take it anymore! So I slowly nod.

"Sure..."

Rei cuts in, "But only on one condition," he pushed up his glasses and glared towards them, "I won't do any swimming."

Nagisa cheered loudly, even did a jump in the air. My upper body felt like it was being crushed under his bone breaking hug. He whispered to me, "I knew you would've joined soon."

"I'm only doing this just for today, so I didn't officially join your club Nagisa." I breathe out.

"We'll see," he promised and quickly turned to Rei before I could say anything about that.

Makoto came up to me, "Are you sure? You don't have to do this. Since Rei's coming, no one's forcing you to join too. We have enough people now."

"No," I said. "I'll be fine. Everyone seems to want me anyway, so I might as well come." I also want to swim, an indoor pool didn't sound that bad.

He put his signature smile back on, giving me a face full of serenity. "You've changed your mind, so you do want to swim with us."

I felt my cheeks grow hot and I look away, sticking out my tongue. He laughs at me.

-:-

"In door pools are so nice." Nagisa observed the gym, eyes twinkling with admiration.

I nod in agreement. The swim club plus Ryugazaki and I took a train to Samezuka Academy. When we got there, everyone changed into their swimsuits and began to stretch. Ryugazaki and I just looked around, drawn to this new environment. I remember sneaking in here with the guys last time when it was night, but during the day, the area was filled with hot energy.

I look at the pool and wondered how warm it was. I walk over and jab my finger through the surface to feel the liquid. Too warm for my taste. I've been in outdoor pools before, and I love how you had to get used to the cold before you finally warmed up. Or when it rained and the water was filled with freshness and dead leaves, it felt like paradise to swim in. But like I said before, I would choose the ocean over the pool any day.

I look over my shoulder to see Kou in her blushing state again with her eyes wider than her face. She scanned the area twice and gawked at everything. Is she okay?

"Hey, thanks for coming." a young man with bright red hair and golden eyes greeted us. Makoto told me before that he was the captain of the Samezuka boys swim team. His name was Seijuro Mikoshiba.

Everyone turned their attention to him and we all bowed, "Thank you very much."

"Sure." he looked to Haruka. "You're Nanase, right? You won a bunch of regional tournaments in grade school."

"Yeah..." he said.

I tune out their conversation when I spotted a sight of scarlet hair. Peeking over Seijuro's shoulder, I saw it was none other than Rin talking to another boy. When he rotated his head towards our direction, he scowled when he noticed Haruka and gave me a dirtier glance after catching my stare. I wasn't frightened by his look.

"Oh," Kou became aware of her brother's appearance too and ran towards him. "Big Brother." Rin mumbled something to her in a low voice. Judging by his expression, he seemed annoyed. Nagisa came over to greet him as well.

"Rin-chan! We get to swim together again! Let's have fun today." he cheered loudly. Rin glared down at him, hoping that his look would somehow hurt the young boy.

"Together?" he scoffed. "Ha, you guys are a waste of my time."

Without looking back, he walked out of the area. An icy aura surrounded him, I wasn't sure if anyone else noticed that. I wondered what was bothering him. Well, I've been trying to figure out his problem ever since I met these guys. Judging by the sound in his voice, he seemed miserable, except, I don't know why.

"What's his problem?" asked Ryugazaki.

"Yeah, there's some history there." Makoto answered.

"I thought we could practice off with our first years today." The captain gathered everyone together. He clapped his hands. "Okay! Let's start with individual time trials... You two!"

He pointed to Ryugazaki and I. "Get in your swimsuits."

How in the world did I somehow forget the most important thing in swimming sports? I looked around the guys for help, unsure how to respond to the captains orders. Ryugazaki started.

"Uh... I'm not-"

"Sorry! They forgot to bring their bathing suits!" Nagisa butt in and rubbed the back of his head, laughing slightly.

Maybe if someone told me I was going to this joint practice against my will, I would've certainly brought my own. The captain seemed pretty irritated by that.

"What? Why are they here then?" he murmured to himself. "You can use one of our spare swimsuits. Nitori! Show them to the locker room."

Out of nowhere, a boy around my age with silver hair trotted up to Ryugazaki and I. He had dark blue eyes that showed he was timid, but hid it with a confident expression. "Please come with me."

"Uh wait... I'm not," Ryugazaki protested, but Nitori grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Ryugazaki also grabbed my shirt in order for me to come too, I began to get scared.

Looking back, the swim club looked at us with worry, especially for me. What if they don't have something that will cover my entire body? Then they'll know I'm a girl and I could get in serious trouble.

The locker room smelled like a mix of chlorine and sweat, a scent that made me very sick. Nitori showed us the locker that contained the spare swimsuits, Ryugazaki and I both looked at each other for a while, his purple eyes hardened with annoyance and fear.

Wait… fear? Oh never mind, I have other problems right now.

I picked up a pile of swimsuits and looked through each of them carefully. Behind me, I heard Ryugazaki mumble to himself.

"No. Not at all. This is not beautiful. Ugh, I hate this pattern... Perfect!"

He scurried away to a changing stale, leaving me alone to find my suit. Most of them were all trunks and speedos, something I will never wear. I was beginning to lose hope until I picked up one midnight blue swimsuit.

Looking at it closely, it seemed to be my fit and it didn't look too tight. I sigh with relief, "Just what I need."

"It's a good thing they had a body skin," Nagisa whispered to me. "It would be awkward if you went out with no shirt."

"Yeah," I agree.

"The deal was I wouldn't have to swim." Ryugazaki stood beside us with his arms crossed over his chest. He chose a dark blue speedo that looked a little too tight around his groin. He was pretty buff compared to Nagisa, those arm muscles must've came from track.

"Don't worry!" Nagisa reassured, "These time trials are only for practice. It doesn't matter if you're slow."

"That's not the issue!" he fought.

"Oh, it's Mako-chan's turn." the blonde noted.

"Are you listening to me?"

Makoto got up on his platform and bent down into a diving position. When the whistle flew, he flew into the water and swam to the other side. I watched his performance for a while, but then I turned my head up to the second floor to spot an individual looking down on us. It was Rin and of course, his eyes were glued to Haruka, who was oblivious by his stare.

"I'm up next." Nagisa strolled to the platform, strapping his goggles on and also getting into a diving position. When Makoto finished, he dove right in. I looked at Ryugazaki who had his arms crossed nervously.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, um… just a little irritated." he stuttered. I lean my head to the side.

"It's just swimming you know. There's no reason to be afraid."

"Easy for you to say…" he muttered.

"What?"

"Next swimmer get ready!" the captain called out to Ryugazaki.

Makoto came up to us, his body was dripping wet. Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he spoke to the track athlete. "You're up next Ryugazaki-kun."

"I told you," he started, "I'm not–"

"Hey, next swimmer!" Seijuro called out. "Move to the starting block!"

Ryugazaki looked down with horror and sickness mixed in his face. I felt bad for him in a way, something was wrong.

"Well, you might as well." Makoto encouraged.

Ryugazaki exhaled, "Fine!"

Moving to the platform with a pair of goggles and a dark swimming cap, Haruka stopped him in his tracks to say something I couldn't hear. Ryugazaki took it as an offense.

"I'm not!" he fought.

Makoto and I looked at each other, a little worried about his attitude. He got up on the platform and bent down as well, his position was oddly perfect, like he's been practicing that stance his whole life. Watching carefully, he looked at the water like he was studying it. Maybe it was his way of preparing.

After Nagisa finished and the whistle blew, he jumped off his platform… AND BELLYFLOPPED IN THE WATER!?

"What?!" Everyone in the whole gym cried out with abrupt shock at what we witness. Ryugazaki just failed at his diving. A few moments passed and he didn't even resurface. Sweat began to stream down the back of my neck.

"Um, hasn't come back up…" Makoto anxiously trailed.

"This looks bad."

Kou's words somehow signaled Haruka to run to the edge and dive into the pool. Nagisa, who was watching the scene from the side, went under to also rescue Ryugazaki. Seijuro ran over, worried about the young man.

"Is he okay?"

After a second, the trio rose up and I heard Ryugazaki gasping for air. Everyone was relieved to know he was okay. Well, health and physically wise. His self-esteem dropped down to zero. When they came out of the pool, Ryugazaki draped a small towel over his head and hugged his knees to his chest. He wouldn't meet anyone's gaze.

"Rei-chan… you can't swim." Nagisa said.

"Yeah," he got defensive again, "Are saying it's my fault? I told you I wasn't going to swim."

"Kind of," I stated coldly, "It would've been smart to actually tell us that. I know we're not exactly close, but communication is always important."

He glared his purple eyes back at me, but looked away in pain, like his pride was being tortured. "I wasn't going to admit the fact that I couldn't swim. That would go against my sense of beauty…"

His arms tightened and he brought his legs closer. His excuse didn't make me pity him; it made me realize that he wasn't as smart as I thought. Who cares about beauty? Doesn't your life matter more? I heard Haruka walk away from us. He was getting ready for his time trial, and then it will be my turn.

"I'll clear things up with the captain. Sorry for forcing you in this situation." Makoto apologized. "Oh, it's Haru's turn to swim."

We all brought our attention to Haruka, who was getting ready for his dive. Seijuro yelled out, "Ready! Set! Go!"

Haruka's form was magnificent. When he dove into the water, he swam to the other side so radiantly that I became surprisingly impressed. Maybe it's because I'm always amazed by his performances, even if they weren't intentional. He swims with a free spirit, gliding through the waters as he showed off his tranquility.

Ryugazaki also seemed interested, because he stood up and watched Haruka with admiration, envy, and astonishment. I understood those feelings.

When Haruka flipped from the other side, I pick up a pair of goggles and put on a swimming cap speedo over my head. I walk to the platform, slip down my goggles over my eyes, and copy the same position the other boys did. The pool was fifty meters long, I could handle that.

After Haruka finished, Seijuro signaled me to start and I drove my body into the warm liquid. This water was not like the ocean at all, but it felt okay on my skin. I felt goose bumps pop all around my arms and legs from this new sensation. My body seemed my lighter in this pool, like I could fly through it within seconds. My strokes were easier to make and I could actually go up for a breath of air without a wave crashing over my face, filling my mouth with salt water. I loved this feeling. It made me stronger, faster, and more comfortable with swimming. This was unusual. I swam in pools before, so why was I acting different now?

Before I could answer myself, a loud _bang_ filled my ears and my head throbbed with pain. Breaking the surface, I bellowed with agony and pressed a palm against my skull. My head shook a little and my neck had a tingle of pain run down it. I grip on to the edge and begin to realize something. I forgot to flip, except, I didn't know how to flip. Uh-oh…

"Hanaru!"

"Hana-chan!

"Suzuki-kun!"

I heard my names called out and looked to see my friends running towards me. Only this time, there were doubles for a few seconds, until they faded back into one. Makoto and Haruka grabbed my arms and heaved me out of the pool. Makoto brought me to the wall, where I laid my back against it and sat down. My friends gathered around me with wild eyes, making a huge fuss over my stupidity. That pain in my head still ached, but I was too embarrassed to even focus on that.

"Are you okay?"

"Why didn't you flip?"

"We're you distracted?"

"Does your head hurt?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Whoa, guys I'm fine." I reassured. "And Nagisa, you're holding up three fingers."

"Oh thank goodness… I don't want you to lose that genius brain of yours."

After my accident and annoyance with life, I couldn't help but crack a smile. Nagisa somehow knew how to do that. His words reminded me of my second day of school, when I met him and his friends.

"Is he okay?" Seijuro asked as he walked up to our group. "You guys are just injury magnets aren't you?" Everyone was uneasy by his comment.

When the pain began to swell down, I stood up and walked back to the platform. Makoto grabbed my arm while everyone told me how it wasn't a good idea. How I should be resting now because of my injured head. I smiled and gently pulled Makoto's hand off my arm.

I'm sure it must've of been from that hit, but I suddenly felt different. I want to try again. Redo my time trial and make sure I flip this time. Only, I really didn't know how to do it. Like I said before, I never did competitive swimming in pools. It was always in the ocean. That motivated me to get back in the water. To try again and not hurt myself this time. I was going to get this flip right after today. I may have felt funny, but I was going back in no matter what.

"I'm fine." I tell them all, "I came here to swim right? So I'm going to swim."

-:-

The next day, Hanaru was absent from school again due to a concussion she expectedly got (due to hitting her head a few more times) and Rei Ryugazaki joined the swim club. Everyone was quite happy because now they had four members in their club, which also meant Hanaru didn't need to be persuaded in joining the club anymore.

The thought depressed everyone. They've all grown to respect her as a person and actually enjoy her company, even if she was at some points difficult. Her swimming style was incredible to watch. She was fast and strong in the water, flying through the surface at dolphin speed. Even if she did hit her head multiple times on the opposite wall. After all, she was more of a distance swimmer, but she's never competed in the pool before.

Makoto even suggested that they go visit her and bring flowers, chocolates, and get well cards. Both Haruka and Kou rejected the idea, saying that she may want to be alone. Nagisa complained that she's been alone too long, no one disagreed.

After school, the team scurried of to the changing rooms to get ready for Rei's first day of practice. After changing into their swimsuits, they went out to find a figure violating their pool. Someone was swimming!

At first they turned to Kou to see that she was still beside them, and then thought it might've been their supervisor, Miho Amakata. When they spotted her chair empty, they assumed she was running late.

Paranoid, Haruka began to stride over to the pool to see the invader for himself while everyone hurried from behind. Before they got to the edge of the pool, the person broke the surface and gripped onto the edge. Hoisting himself out of the water, he stood and shook the water out if his choppy hair. Dark locks whipped away to reveal turquoise eyes.

"Hanaru?!" Everyone screamed with shock. She wore one of her body skin suits from home.

"Hey guys! I see you joined the swim club Rei." She finally called him by his first name.

The group was too amazed to actually even say something, but it was Nagisa who broke the silence first. "Hana-chan, why are you here? Shouldn't you be home resting your head?"

"No," she replied. "No I'm done resting. I'm done sitting down and doing nothing."

"But you have a concussion!" Makoto objected.

"So? That was two days ago. I'm feeling fine right now."

"You could damage your brain Suzuki-kun!" Rei exclaimed.

She laughed, "I'm fine really. Actually, I'm more than fine, I feel beyond awesome! And please Rei, call me Hanaru or Hana."

"Are you sure you shouldn't be home right now? I think you have brain damage." Kou stated with a little anxiousness shown in her red eyes. This was not how normal Hanaru would be acting.

She shook her head and placed her hands on her hips, "I'm great, thank you for asking. I just came by to tell you all that I've been thinking for a while… about this club I mean. How I seem to be happier when I'm around you guys. And I'm also more alive when I'm in the water." She turned to Haruka for a couple seconds, seeing how he got what she was saying. "So I went for a swim in your pool."

"You mean?" Kou mumbled.

"Are you saying...?" Makoto trailed.

"I think she is." Haruka said.

"She!?" Rei exclaimed.

"You'll join our swim club too?" Nagisa finished.

For many years, Hanaru felt trapped in a cage full of unwanted memories and a nightmarish past. She never fought, just sat there like a bird being held captive against her will. Now, she was breaking out of that rusty cage and to get a better taste of true freedom. Haruka was right, she wasn't free, but she wanted to feel that way.

So after asking about joining the swim club over and over and over again, she finally managed to say.

"Yes."

***Author's Note: Oh goodness that was long! I think my fingers are cramping from so much typing. And my brain just melted from staring at a computer for a week. Well, at least it's done! I hope you enjoyed the third chapter!**

**Oh, by the way! I drew a picture of what Hanaru would look like, which I will possibly be posting next chapter. Yep, I'm one of those people. Want to know why? Because I have no life and love to please you all!**

**On a side note, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and favorite and followed, you guys are so wonderful and I love your support! But I have some bad news. And no, before you go into a state of shock, I'm not having writers block. I'm having midterms in two weeks and need to study. So, the next chapter may not be out for a while (A week and a half) which means you all might have to wait. Something viewers HATE doing I know. But please, be patient with me, I'm going to do the best I can on both Fanfiction and school! (But mostly Fanfiction)**

**Chapter 4 Preview: The swim club teaches Rei how to swim and Hanaru is still recovering from her concussion. Then swimsuit shopping! Nagisa wants her to wear some pretty girly stuff!**

**Okay guys, please leave me some comments on this chapter and some feedback. And if I get a lot of reviews, I'll make the next chapter obnoxiously long like this one. Maybe…**

**Until next time, I'll see you all next week (or two)!**

-Phoenix


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